Nowadays, practically
anywhere you lay your head, you’re protected by a smoke alarm. A home cannot be sold
without one on every floor. They’re mandated in apartment buildings, hospitals,
schools, dormitories, motels, etc.—not to mention trains, planes, buses,
and RVs. Since they were introduced in the 1960’s, smoke alarms have proven
effective at alerting people to fires.

So where might you sleep
without a smoke alarm close by? Believe it or not, the most likely spot
is on your boat.

It’s surprising that
boats are not required to have smoke alarms, since they usually contain
significant fire dangers. There’s always a fuel source (gasoline or diesel),
which is often complexly plumbed and close to occupied spaces. There are
A.C/D.C. electrical systems, which are subject
to corrosion and vibration and, hence, possible arcing. The materials
from which boats are constructed are frequently combustible and may give
off toxic fumes when burned. On top of that, there are sleeping quarters
with limited egress, a situation that’s actually getting worse in some
sleek, modern designs with full-beam master staterooms.

So why aren’t yachts
required to have smoke alarms? One issue is “demonstrated need,” i.e.
statistics showing enough adverse financial and human consequences. Unfortunately,
no single governmental agency can pinpoint the damage done by boat fires.
Most states do not have a “boat” classification in their fire-reporting
databases, and the national reporting system only captures information
on structural fires. Hence data on boat fires is only recorded in incident
narratives and, since it’s not required, may not be reported at all. The
Coast Guard does keep fire records when possible but says that unless
a municipality or state notifies the agency, it may not be aware of a
particular incident.

Nonetheless, in 1998
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published a report titled
“U.S. Vehicle Fire Trends and Patterns,” which estimated that boat fires
caused an average of eight fatalities and $24.9 million in damage each
year between 1980 and 1998. (These numbers match the carbon monoxide death
rate that has drawn much worthwhile boating industry attention. The CO
events typically do not have monetary losses.)